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Originally Posted by Skahtboi
It would make absolutely no sense to have this type of rule for softball. The mechanics of pitching are totally different in this sport than in the little ball sport. There is no real stress put on any part of the arm, if the player has been coached correctly, in softball. What would be the benefit, then, of such a rule?
Also...where are you hearing your "rumors" from?
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I agree - it makes little sense in softball for
exactly the reason you mention.
I'll tell you what I'd like to see in the NCAA Softball College World Series, however: Something that forces a team to bring in a
2nd pitcher at some point in the tournament.
This would prevent a team from riding the coattails of a dominating pitcher when their team, as a whole, may not be as good as another. I think a 2nd pitcher should be tasked with "holding down the fort", to
some extent, at
some point in the tournament, even if only a brief appearance.
Pitching is disproportionately a critical element of the game in fastpitch softball. When balancing the importance of good hitting and good defense,
pitching tips the scales to a
huge degree. A dominating pitcher can make even an
average team look great. And she can do it for
every pitch, of
every game, for the
duration of the tournament.
Generally speaking, in fastpitch softball, if you don't have a pitcher - you don't have a chance. On the other hand, if a team is weak in several categories; as long as they have a dominating pitcher - they
always have a chance. How good does your defense have to be if your pitcher is striking out 12-15 batters a game? How good does you offense have to be when your pitcher has an ERA of 0.73?
In short, I'd like to see some more pitching depth in the College World Series. I'm not sure how that can be done, however.
David Emerling
Memphis, TN